SAVING MONEY IN COLLEGE. “SAVING PRIVATE BENJAMIN”

Scott Cooper, College of the Desert

Goal• Immediate tips to saving money and growing the money

you do have!• Immediate steps to prepare you for real word financial

problems.• Making you more attractive to money saving students like

yourself!

Find a money Mentor• Money management is a skill. Learn it form someone who

is rich. Don’t take poor people’s advice on how to manage money.

• Parent• Uncle• Boss• Mentor/ Teacher• My favorite: Dave Ramsey

Dump your Debt• Nothing sinks you faster than debt!• Interest on loans, credit card debt accrues faster than any

small savings you get on money that you are spending. Build up an emergency fund first ($1,000) then take care of debt like crazy!!!

• Develop a budget and stick to it. Many banks have free apps for your phone or course.

• http://credit.org/courses/ Check out Spring Boards free courses on how to do this.

Credit Card Alert• Only buy on your card if you have the cash to pay it off each month. • Don’t open a card for the “points or mileage”. It is cheaper to save

10% of your income for tickets than pay their interest to get a “free(not!)” trip.

• Top 10 Hidden Dangers of Credit Cards

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/debt/20040915a1.asp

Find the deals!!!• www.foibly.com • Shop Facebook!• Overstock.com• Ebay ( Free to sell 5 items per month)• Craigslist• Garage sales

Dress For Less• Clothing stores that have Student Discounts• Ann Taylor: 20% off• Ann Taylor LOFT: 15% off• Banana Republic: 15% off• Charlotte Russe: 10% off• The Limited: 15% off• Target.com: 10% off (online only)• Don’t be fooled by the line “ Would you like to open a

credit card today and save 10%?”. You end up paying more than 10-28% in interest!!! This is not a deal. Walk away.No…run.

Cut your Phone costs!

• All major cell phone services have discounts for students.

• What you need: a valid college email. • T-Mobile 15%! That $15 on $100 bill!!!• Verizon Wireless (AllTel) Employee Discount Program

• AT&T (Cingular) Corporate and Student Discounts

• T-Mobile Corporate Discount Program• Sprint Nextel Employee Value Program

Wear glasses? • www.zennioptical.com

Save Tons on College Text Books

• www.dealoz.com • Discovering Psychology, Hockenbury• www.Craigslist.org• Rent if it is not your Major!!!• Sell to other students ( avoid the bookstore)

Technology Savings• http://www.journeyed.com/students• http://students.autodesk.com/ A great website for free

software downloads etc… they have AutoCAD and others for free.

• Amazon: Students get six months of Amazon Prime for free, which normally costs $70. This allows them to get free two-day shipping for college students. http://www.amazon.com/gp/student/signup/info

• Apple: There are plenty of student deals going on at Apple. For starters, you’ll save up to $200 on your new Mac under the education pricing. If you buy a new Mac, you’ll get an extra $100 credit to spend on products from the Apple Store. This $100 voucher deal will run up to September 20.

Tech Cont.• Microsoft:

http://www.microsoft.com/student/en-us/Deals/default.aspx#fbid=AXM71R2cf2y or you can order from staples or online from another store. Student price: $99.99 Microsoft Office 2010. $149 regular price approx.

• Sony: https://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentDisplayView?cmsId=edu_landing_page&catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1 Students can save up to 10 percent at the Sony Education Store.

• Adobe: There are huge student discounts (up to 80 percent!) on Adobe software. Check out their student page for more details. Example: Adobe Photoshop Students pay only $79 for Photoshop Lightroom 4 (regularly $149) and $249 for Photoshop C56 Extended (regularly $699). You can buy the student version at a Staples or other local store, but would need to register as a student. My concern is that they usually require the edu email.

Build your savings• Consider an IDA account. The county matches your

money for education, buying a house or opening a business. Every $1 is matched with $2. So, your deposit of $1,000 +$2,000= $3,000. You need to attend financial workshops and qualify.

• http://www.capriverside.org/opencms/programs/ida.html

Banking Account tips• Have a checking account that is linked to an overdraft.• Have a separate savings account not linked to your

checking so it cannot be “cleared out” in the event of theft or over charges.

Final Tips• If you need to get help from Financial Aid, • go in the morning early! Smile. “You get more flies with

honey than vinegar”• Always ask “ Can I get a student discount?” on

everything!!!• If you rent a place, consider Renter’s insurance to protect

against theft and loss while in college.

• “A penny saved is a penny earned” Ben Franklin• Apply to every scholarship you can. One scholarship can

be months of a minimum wage job.

Dating on a BudgetBy Lupita Cabrera

Purpose of Dating

• To get to know someone better

• To have fun and enjoy the company of others

• To try something new• To find love• To get to know yourself

Not-on-a Budget Dates

• Cost too much money• The focus is more on the activity and money spent rather than the enjoyment of the company

• Not creative

On a Budget Dates

• Saves MONEY!• Can be fun, adventurous, and creative!

• Explore each others likes and dislikes

• More personal

Dating on a Budget Ideas

• Outdoors activities:• Picnics• Hiking/Running• Camping• Roller skating• Street markets/fairs • Bike riding• Visit to the Zoo

• Indoors activities:• Home made dinner• Gym rock climbing• “Movie night-in”• Ice skating• Visit museums• Volunteer together

• Free live music shows

Lunch Date

Restaurant/cafe

• Most of them indoors• Not creative or with a

personal touch• Expensive lunch:

• Food: $20 • Drink: $7• Appetizer: $8 • Dessert: $5• Tip: $6

• Total Average Cost: $46

Picnic

• Enjoy nature and each other’s company

• Grab your blanket and fill a basket with your favorite homemade foods• (fruits, veggies, juice and

sandwiches)• Share stories, take a walk,

take pictures, and just relax!

• Total Average cost: $20

Adventurous Date

Ice Skating

• Have fun while trying something new!

• Total Average Cost: ($8-$10 per person, $6-$8 for General Admission & $2 for skate rental)• Website for the Coachella Valley:

http://www.deserticecastle.com/• Website for the San Bernardino

Area: http://www.ontarioiceskatingcntr.com

Amusement parks and recreation

• Its fun but at a high cost• You have to travel a long

distance and wait in lines for admission

• Total Average Cost: $50+ (not including food and gas)

Dinner & a MovieFancy Restaurant & Movie

• Not creative or with a personal touch

• Very expensive dinner:• Food: $40 • Drink: $15• Appetizer: $12• Dessert: $10• Tip: $15

• Movie Theater- 2 tickets, 1 popcorn, and 1 soda• $28

Total Average Cost: $120

Homemade Dinner & Movie Rental

• Fire up the skillet for a night of cooking — for both of you. Learn how to cook each other's favorite meal by cooking it together

• Great way to learn more about each other and the dishes you both like

• Movie Rental and box of popcorn: $7

• Total Average Cost: $42

Hiking trails•Spend the day hiking and taking pictures together

•Explore your surroundings by going for a hike to your local hiking areas•http://www.hiking-in-ps.com/trails.php

•Total Average Cost: Gas and water $5-$10

•Don’t forget to pick your date a flower on the way!

Re-visit Your Childhood

• Travel back in time and reminisce

• If you or your date still live close to where you grew up, give each other a tour of your childhoods

• Cost: (gas money)

Volunteer Together• Impress your date by

volunteering at a local shelter, organization or volunteer program

• Give back to your community while getting to know your date

• Cost: Free + rewarding experience!

Remember…• Dating is supposed to be a fun way to get to know

someone, if the person is out with you, they already like you, just have fun and enjoy the company and don’t worry about how much you need to spend.

• Be creative and adventurous! • Grow your own flowers, make homemade presents!

• Always look for other options!• Dating does not have to be expensive!• It’s ok to go to a restaurant every once in a while, but

when you do look for the 2 for 1 specials! • You can treat yourself and your date to a nice dinner,

concert or getaway trip for special occasions!

Thank youThank you!!!